Chapter 26: Loquat Candy

“Where did this come from?”

Tu Yao pointed at the small grayish clay jar on the table.

“It was sent by Madam Ma earlier,” the maid replied cheerfully. “She said it’s loquat candy she made herself to help the Madam with her cough.”

Because Ma Bing had helped them risk climbing a tree to retrieve a silk scarf, everyone had a very good impression of her.

“Loquat candy?” Tu Yao was slightly puzzled. He pulled off the lid and looked inside. The jar was tightly packed with small square pieces wrapped in parchment paper, some peeking out shyly, looking quite cute.

Sure enough, there was a faint loquat fragrance.

“The girl really thought this through,” Madam Zhao came out from inside. “She knows my stomach is weak, and that I might lose my appetite if I take medicine, so she went through the trouble of making this.”

Ma Bing had simmered the loquats with honey and aged tangerine peel into a thick paste, then quickly cut it into small pieces after slightly cooling it. Each piece was wrapped in a slightly larger piece of parchment paper—clean, attractive, and resistant to melting in the heat.

The work was so neat that it must have taken considerable effort.

On such a hot day, it was admirable that she endured the heat of the stove to make it.

Tu Yao squinted and picked out a piece, about to unwrap it, when Madam Zhao snatched it back, “You don’t even have a cough. What are you eating!”

This is meant for me.

Tu Yao: “…”

Isn’t it just candy? What’s wrong with sharing a piece, even between old married folks?

The maids beside them all covered their mouths and giggled.

Tu Yao awkwardly sat back down and poured himself some tea, muttering, “Missing the girl again?”

They had two sons and one daughter, their only daughter having married three years ago.

At his words, Madam Zhao’s eyes reddened. “How could I not miss her, when we’re so far apart?”

Originally, they thought that since their daughter had married in the south, even if not local, it would be just a five or seven-day journey, and they could visit her often when they missed her.

But human plans rarely match heaven’s. Tu Yao was transferred back to the capital to serve as the Prefect of Kaifeng, making the distance truly vast.

She sighed, “I was just thinking, if only Ya’er could be as free-spirited and strong-willed as that girl, she wouldn’t be so easily wronged.”

Then Madam Zhao herself laughed again, pointing at the jar and saying, “But that girl is only tough on the outside. Inside, she’s a soft and sweet little thing.”

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have such a thoughtful idea.

“She’s your own choice for a daughter-in-law, and we’ve watched her grow up,” Tu Yao smiled and shook his head. “What’s there to worry about?”

“You don’t understand anything!” To his surprise, Madam Zhao suddenly furrowed her brows and got angry. “A woman’s life before and after marriage are two different matters. There are in-laws above, nephews and nieces below, and she must deal with the interactions of noble families. Each matter is a struggle. How can she be as carefree and comfortable as our own daughter?”

She grew increasingly annoyed, and seeing Tu Yao also showing impatience, she waved her hand dismissively, “Enough, you men are so careless and heartless. You wouldn’t understand even if I told you. Go, go play with your documents and don’t bother me here.”

Tu Yao: “?!”

What did I say?

Is comforting someone even a mistake now?

Madam Zhao ignored him, rose gracefully, and called the maids, walking out while saying, “Come with me to the storeroom and pick some fabric to make her a few new outfits for the polo match tomorrow. Poor thing, she’s lost her parents at such a young age. In the prime of her life, yet dressed so drably…”

She left Tu Yao alone, staring blankly at the jar.

After staring for half a while, Tu seemed to make up his mind. He quickly grabbed several loquat candies from the jar and slipped them into his sleeve before leisurely heading to his study.

Hmph, I’m going to eat your candy no matter what!

Two days later, Madam Zhao indeed took Ma Bing to watch the polo match.

Ma Bing, unexpectedly receiving new clothes, felt uneasy and declined Madam Zhao’s invitation to ride in the same carriage, choosing instead to ride alongside and escort her.

As the weather was getting hotter and the carriage ride stuffy, Madam Zhao did not insist.

Seeing her in brand new riding gear, looking mighty and heroic, Madam Zhao also felt pleased.

“This is even better. Today is a polo match, and your outfit, along with riding a tall horse, suits the occasion perfectly.”

Ma Bing noticed that the streets were more crowded than usual, with many people dressed similarly, all heading in the same direction, and asked, “Are they all going to watch the match?”

Madam Zhao nodded with a smile, “Exactly. You’ll sit with me later, don’t get caught in the crowd.”

Now that the country was at peace, the court was suppressing the influence of military officers, but the army still needed to maintain its ferocity. Playing polo not only trained horsemanship but also emphasized teamwork, and had long been a military activity, thus preserved.

Moreover, many noble sons went through military training and were passionate about polo. As the saying goes, “what the upper class likes, the lower follows,” and the common people also joined in the excitement.

However, horses were expensive, and even if an average family could afford one, they couldn’t afford to maintain it. Thus, polo remained a noble sport to this day.

However, in recent years, wealthy merchants in the civilian sector had begun organizing professional polo teams, giving rise to many skilled polo players who made a living from it. They had many followers, and the riding outfits and shoes they wore during matches were highly sought after, becoming a spectacle in themselves.

Madam Zhao and her party arrived not too early. When they got off the carriage, the vast polo field was already surrounded by crowds three layers deep. Ma Bing marveled at the sight.

In the northwest, the people were bold and had many horses, so polo was common. However, due to poverty and sparse population, they usually just picked a flat piece of land, dug a hole at each end, and called it a polo field and goal.

The field in front of them, however, had been artificially leveled and repeatedly soaked and compacted with tung oil, making it very smooth and hard, which greatly reduced the chances of horses tripping and falling.

Madam Zhao led Ma Bing to the exclusive viewing stand, where several dignified ladies and young women were already seated. Some, like Ma Bing, were dressed in riding gear, while others wore ordinary clothes. When they saw Madam Zhao arrive, they came forward to greet her.

One of the ladies noticed Ma Bing, who was unfamiliar to her, and who looked around with a remarkable bearing and was dressed unusually finely, so she couldn’t help but ask, “Forgive my poor eyesight, but may I ask which family’s young lady is this?”

Madam Zhao took Ma Bing’s hand and said, “A relative’s child. Come, meet the ladies.”

Ma Bing was not shy and greeted them all with a bow, then introduced her name.

The ladies smiled and accepted her greetings, then asked her to rise, though their minds were racing through the list of noble families in the court.

Last name Ma?

There were a few families in the northeast and southwest, but did they have young ladies of such an age? Why hadn’t they seen her before?

Had the Tu and Zhao families intermarried with any Ma family? They didn’t remember.

But seeing how affectionate Madam Zhao was with her, she must come from a good family.

No matter, just treat her as a noble girl and be as attentive as possible.

Soon enough, when most people had arrived, servants brought tea and snacks, and they began talking about the day’s matches. There would be two games: the first one featured two teams made up entirely of high-ranking officials, including members of the royal family.

The second match would be between two professional teams that had gained popularity in recent years, and it would be very exciting.

Ma Bing also received a list of participants and flipped it open, only to find the name Xie Yu on it!

“Will Director Xie also be playing?”

Madam Zhao nodded with a smile. “Yes, that child is very skilled at riding. He was already an expert during his time in the imperial guards a few years back.”

Before long, a gong rang out, and the previously lively discussion on the field fell silent. Everyone turned their eyes to the entrances on the east and west sides.

The two teams wore black and white riding outfits respectively, clearly distinguishable. Xie Yu was in the black team.

They were all dressed in solid black riding gear, but his looked slightly better than the others.

Yuanpei was also among them, chatting happily with his teammates, showing no sign of nervousness.

Ma Bing watched with interest for a while, her gaze landing on a burly man at the front, and her expression froze.

The man appeared to be over fifty, with a white beard and hair, yet his face was ruddy, his tiger-like eyes exuded authority, and his robust physique resembled an iron tower—truly the bearing of an extraordinary general.

Ma Bing stared at his face for a while, feeling like she had seen him somewhere before.

She looked through the list of names for a bit and found, “Pei Rong…”

Although she was naturally intelligent, it had been over a decade ago. Her memories from when she was four or five were mostly blurred, with only fragments remaining, making it hard to confirm.

“Hmm?” Madam Zhao turned around upon hearing her. “Do you know General Pei?”

“Ahh?” Ma Bing’s eyes flickered, and she quickly shook her head. “I just think this name sounds so mighty. I wonder which one he is among the players below?”

Madam Zhao pointed at the old general Ma Bing had been watching. “You guessed right. He was once a military commander stationed in the north. However, later when he returned to the capital to report his duties, he insulted and beat his colleagues in court, which led to his dismissal. If it weren’t for the joint efforts of Duke Qingwu and others to protect him, he might have been demoted back to his hometown.

The emperor valued talent and considered his old age. Over the past few years, he has gradually been reinstated and now serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Cavalry Guard.”

Pei Rong… Pei Rong…

Ma Bing repeated the name a few times in her mouth, gradually matching it with the fragmented memories in her mind.

Uncle Pei.

Polo is indeed an extremely dangerous sport. The horses charge wildly on the field, and a slight carelessness can lead to people falling off horses, bloodshed, and broken bones. Therefore, closest to the field, there was a whole row of fully equipped imperial physicians.

Ma Bing was watching the players on the field when she vaguely felt someone was looking at her. Instinctively, she looked in that direction and found a wealthy-looking woman dressed in red riding gear.

Her beauty was striking, her demeanor noble and magnificent, like a blooming peony, making people instinctively want to bow and pledge allegiance.

When Ma Bing noticed her, she didn’t seem embarrassed at all. Instead, she nodded gracefully in her direction.

Ma Bing was a bit stunned and instinctively returned the bow. The woman smiled sweetly, radiant and dazzling.

So beautiful!

Ma Bing quietly asked Madam Zhao, “Who is that lady?”

Madam Zhao looked in that direction and bowed from afar. “You don’t recognize her? She is Princess Ningde.”

Princess Ningde?!

Ma Bing blinked, quickly regaining her composure. Wasn’t she the wife of Duke Qingwu Xie Xian and the mother of Xie Yu?

She couldn’t help but take a few more bold glances and indeed found her beauty as radiant as the rumors claimed.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, another gong rang out, and the match began!

General Pei let out a loud shout and led the charge.

Generally speaking, battlefield charges require mighty generals with great strength and momentum, while polo emphasizes technique more, so polo stars are rarely large in stature.

But General Pei was clearly an exception.

He was huge in size and very fast. When he charged forward on his horse, he seemed like a galloping war chariot. Even from the grandstand, far away, he gave people a heavy sense of pressure.

The opposing players had clearly experienced his might before. Several of them were already intimidated and instinctively dodged to the side.

A few others gritted their teeth and rode forward to confront him, trying to seize the ball.

But in just one encounter, General Pei knocked them all off their horses, rolling on the ground like gourds.

Two unlucky ones were crushed under their horses and began wailing in pain.

Despite his massive build, General Pei was surprisingly nimble. He emerged unscathed and laughed heartily as he raised his mallet and struck the ball with force.

On the other side, Yuanpei and others escorted the ball, and Xie Yu caught it. He spurred his horse and galloped forward, maneuvering skillfully. The ball seemed to stick to his mallet, and no one could stop him.

All these events on the field happened in just a few breaths of time. Then Xie Yu twisted his shoulders and lowered his waist. He actually rolled off his horse’s back, using a technique to hide his body within the stirrups to avoid the opponent’s mallet swing and then struck back with a reverse hit!

With a dull “ding” sound, the red-painted wooden ball flew like a shooting star, zooming into the opponent’s goal!

The grandstand, which had just fallen silent, erupted into thunderous cheers that shook the heavens and made Ma Bing’s head buzz.

This goal was truly spectacular, with perfect timing and coordination. Especially Xie Yu’s excellent horsemanship and boldness were simply amazing.

Ma Bing was infected by the enthusiastic atmosphere, her heart pounding as she clapped her hands excitedly.

She instinctively looked toward Princess Ningde and found many noblewomen around her vying to flatter her, all of which Princess Ningde accepted with a smile.

General Pei rode over laughing and tapped mallets with Xie Yu, “Good! That was exhilarating!”

After this bout of exercise, a thin layer of sweat had appeared on Xie Yu’s face, giving him a rare, carefree happiness.

As they rode back, the eagerly waiting imperial physicians rushed onto the field to treat the fallen players.

They were all seasoned polo players, and upon falling, they instinctively dodged. Most were fine, except one unlucky player who couldn’t dodge in time and had his right leg crushed by his horse. He had to be carried off the field.

Getting injured in polo was just a matter of inferior skill, and his teammates could do nothing about it.

As they passed by them, General Pei pointed at another fallen young man and looked down at him from atop his horse, saying, “Your father is a despicable man, a coward, but you dared to confront me, which shows you have some guts.”

The young man was the one who had led the charge against General Pei. Upon hearing this, his face turned red and pale with anger and frustration.

Being praised by General Pei was indeed an honor, but at the same time, his father was insulted, leaving him at a loss on how to respond.

Ma Bing watched curiously and asked, “Who is that person?”

If he was someone noticed by General Pei, whether good or bad, he must have a significant background.

Madam Zhao explained, “He is the son of the former Minister of Revenue. Among the officials whom General Pei insulted and beat in court was his father.”

Ma Bing murmured in understanding and then fell silent.

“Among the officials,” how many people had Uncle Pei beaten at once?